Whitney Welch was a
beautiful and quiet young lady. She enjoyed track, cheerleading,
Beta and conversation with her friends. In return, her friends
loved her refined quietness. She was also an honor student. Her
plans were to attend the University of Texas.

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Cutting Community Remembers Whitney Welch

Funeral
services were held Tuesday, December 22, 1998, at the First Baptist Church
in for 16-year-old Whitney Welch, daughter of Greg and Pax Welch of grand
daughter of Buster and Sheila Welch of Rotan, Texas. Whitney is also
survived by her older brother, Lance. Whitney was killed Saturday evening,
December 19, when she and three of her closest friends were involved in a
head-on automobile accident on Spur 312 outside of Millsap, Texas. The
accident claimed the lives of all four girls. Two died at the scene, one
passed away the next day, and the fourth girl died two days later.

On January 5, the Star Telegram, Fort Worth's
daily newspaper, stated that the driver of the other vehicle involved in
the head-on collision, 40-year-old Ricky Carter of Fort Worth, allegedly
had a blood alcohol level of .16 at the time of the accident. A driver is
considered legally intoxicated in the state of Texas ff he or she has an
alcohol level of .10 or higher. The collision happened at approximately 11
p.m., and it was alleged that Carter was returning from a hunt- mg trip in
Stephenville, Texas.

Whitney and the three other girls in the car,
Mandi McWhorter, 15, Staci Lee, 16, and Lacy Osina, 17, attended Brock
High School where all four were honor students and all four were
cheerleaders.

Earlier that evening they had attended a
basketball game, then stopped by a Weatherford video store to rent movies.
At the time of the accident, they, along with another carload of girls
following them, were on their way to one of the girls’ homes to watch the
videos.

Whitney's life evolved around more than just
those in the community of Millsap and the students at Brock High School
with whom she went to school. As the daughter of a trainer, she attended
cuttings long before she walked, and spent many of her younger years
playing in the back of arenas with the children of other competitors. Her
funeral demonstrated the number of friends the 16-year-old and her parents
had made through the years.

”So many people came for the service that the
church house overflowed to crowds outside," stated Joe Howard Williamson
who led the service. "The people of Millsap and the cutting horse
community turned out in throngs to remember Whitney and give their support
to Pax and Greg."

The First Baptist Church in Weatherford was
filled to capacity-both the upstairs and down- stairs pews were packed,
and the still others listened to the service from the vestibule. The
incredible sea of flowers-touched with pinks, baby blues, yellows and
white, that were sent from a multitude of friends and family--also spilled
over into the vestibule.

Since two of the other teenagers' funerals
were held earlier in the day, Whitney's service began at 4 p.m. With so
many people to view the body after the funeral, dark settled in before the
entourage reached the cemetery. "I was concerned at first because it was
dark," admitted her mother, Pax, 'but it turned out to be so serene and
beautiful. The cemetery is on a hill and we could see car head lights
winding around for miles.

"Because it was so cold, we all huddled
together really close, and that gave me great comfort.

At a basketball game held since the deaths
of the girls, the remaining four cheerleaders of Brock High School placed
the megaphones of Whitney, Mandi, Staci and Lacy in front of them while
they performed in remembrance of their four friends.